Happy Birthday Mama Zo!

Mama Zo's birthday is on December 6, and we always love celebrating!  Her birthday is also such a fun way to kick off the Christmas season!  We all ate lunch at Pops' and Mama Zo's house to celebrate this year....she had some good helpers to assist her in blowing out her candles :)

Pops and Mama Zo with the three boys...if you will notice Chase's eyes here- he just couldn't bring himself to take his eyes off Rudolph that was playing on tv....

Santa even made a surprise visit at Mama Zo's birthday celebration!

  I loved each child's face before....George and Hank were not real sure and their faces said "You can stand right there but DO NOT try to hold me!" and then Chase just looked up in awe :)  We thought it was fairly obvious that this was just Uncle Wes dressed up as Santa (some even called him by name).  However, about an hour later when we were getting ready to leave, Chase pointed up the stairs and said "Santa went up there and then he was gone"...so sweet!                                                                                                                                         
                                                                    
 

Chase with Santa...




Chase getting sugar from Mama Zo...

Chase and Hank with Nana....Hank was not cooperating, but he really does love Nana!

Chase and George helped Mama Zo unwrap her gifts...

Chase and Hank with Pops...

The Cochran Family...

Family Christmas Party at School

The family Christmas party at Chase and Hank's school each year has become one of our favorite Christmas traditions.  They always have it the first week in December, and it is so much fun!  I thank the Lord everyday for their school and for the people there...they are amazing and I cannot imagine a more loving and caring group of teachers to take care of our boys each day.  It has also been really fun to have Jackson and Alex there too!  Chase and Alex had fun together at the party again this year and Hank was old enough to enjoy it too!

Here is Chase and Alex playing games in Chase's classroom with Chase's teachers who he LOVES so much!

Here they are decorating Christmas cookies...if there is icing involved, that is where you will find Chase! :)

And eating their cookies...

They had the petting zoo again this year and the boys loved it....especially Chase!  I think he would have stayed out there all night if we had let him.  Here he is petting the donkey...

Hank and Daddy got to participate in this activity...Hank was glad he got to be one of the big boys for a moment :)

Luke

Santa sent Chase his very own elf this year and he was so excited!  His elf's name was Luke and Chase loved taking care of Luke over the Christmas holidays!  Here he is putting Luke to bed his first night....we were supposed to put him to bed in the kitchen with crackers and water.  The first night Chase did it, he put the crackers and water out, tucked in Luke, and then real quick took a bite of the cracker!...Drew and I could not stop laughing!!!

Chase loved sprinkling Luke's snowflakes in his sleeping bag every night before bed too!

Peg-P got Chase an elf shirt to match Luke and he loved wearing it!

Every morning before we would leave for school, I would tell Chase to put Luke somewhere in his room and we would close the door so Ruby wouldn't bother him.  Every morning he put Luke right by his Christmas tree in his room.  Then, Luke would get into Chase's toys during the day!...Luke always had a big time in Chase's room!

I had to include this picture of sweet little Hank...while this picture was taken back in December, taking everything off of the shelves in the pantry is still one of Hank's favorite activities! :)

Chase watching tv with his Daddy...:)

PIctures with Santa

We went to Brookwood Mall again this year to get the boys' picture made with Santa....and here is what we got :)  This is pretty representative of Chase and Hank's personalities :)  Most of the time Chase is a pleaser and wants to do whatever he is told and he is so sweet....Hank, while he is so sweet and precious, likes things on his terms.  That day, Santa holding him was not on his terms!  Chase still says, "Hankie not like Santa...I like Santa, but Hankie not"

Chase was so funny....he had been talking about what he wanted from Santa for at least a month..."Superman, Spiderman, Batman, and Diego."  When he got there, he pulled a Ralphie and he froze!  He wouldn't say anything to Santa!

Christmas card and Soccer with Daddy

These were our pictures we took for our Christmas card and they just make me laugh!  Usually when we take pictures, Chase smiles on the first one and Hank smiles on the second one....and Ruby usually keeps her pose until we have both the boys smiling- then she decides to look away!

Chase was so proud of his sucker! 

Drew got home early several days in November which we loved!  There were several days that he and the boys would be playing in the front yard when I got  home...I wish it could be like that all the time!:)  Chase LOVED kicking the soccer ball with his daddy and Hank had fun chasing them around...and of course, Ruby was probably the happiest!

We have so much to be thankful for!